Strike a success, claim trade unions; impact minimal, says govt

A nationwide strike called by trade unions on Friday to press for their demands hit normal life in some parts of the country but did not have significant impact in several sectors, including banking, power and oil.TNN | September 03, 2016, 08:41 IST

NEW DELHI: A nationwide strike called by trade unions on Friday to press for their demands hit normal life in some parts of the country but did not have significant impact in several sectors, including banking, power and oil.

The strike affected coal production, reducing output. But this had no impact on electricity generation as all power plants have surplus coal stock. Huge piles at pit heads also means that dispatches will not slow down.

There were reports of some major public sector units facing disruption which included the Visakhapatnam and Salem steel plants as well as the Numaligarh refinery in Assam.

Certain states, such as Karnataka, opted to play safe and kept buses off the roads, even as protesting workers were detained in Haryana, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. Tripura saw government offices, banks, schools and colleges remaining shut, while Kerala, another Left-ruled state, was hit.

Central trade unions claimed the strike was successful, while CPI described it as the “most successful” strike. The government said the impact was minimal. “Overall, life and business remained normal in most parts of the country in wake of one-day countrywide strike called by central trade unions today. Important sectors like railways, civil aviation and major ports remained unaffected. Banking and insurance, coal, telecom and defence production were partially affected while transport and steel were marginally affected,” the labour ministry said in a statement.

It added that Kerala and Tripura were affected by the strike and Odisha, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh were partially affected.

“To save the environment and to fight climate change, my government has planned a major campaign. By 2022, we want to generate 175 GW of renewable energy. In the last three years, we have already achieved 60 GW or around one-third of this target,” he said.